I have just finished reading an artic…

I have just finished reading an article titled

“PAN-AFRICANISM:THE TORTUROUS PATH OF A RACE “BY NAIWU OSAHON

This is an inspiring article by a man who to tell by his writing seems to hold the issue of African Unity close. The author also appears to have spent a great deal of time and effort in trying to bring this about.
Sometimes an idea just has not ripened yet. I believe that the time for this man’s dream to become a reality is now. Many of the factors that have hindered the holding of a Pan African Congress are now just not there anymore. There exists a medium of disseminating information across the globe in an instant reaching millions with the touch of a few keys. Consequently this is the moment in history that the African can seize to communicate, educate. and inform all who share the black skin of those who are putting in efforts on their behalf and provide information on meetings and progress.

I do however have a couple of issues that I don’t quite agree with in the author’s article. I quote”
“I strongly believed that while we could excuse the OAU perhaps, to serve the interest of all and sundry as a continental contraption, our ‘Movement’ cannot afford such a luxury. Not when there is liberation, reparations and repatriation wars still to be fought and won world-wide. Our Movement must aggressively tackle racism and our marginalisation if we are ever to collectively make progress as a people. And our ‘Movement’ must remain permanently on the alert thereafter. The best guarantee of this is a civil society controlled ‘Movement’ with grassroots Africans from the continent linking with the grassroots black Diaspora to wrestle power from our opportunistic political elite controlling our governments. The grassroots black world need to take their collective destiny into their own hands through an institutionalised ‘Movement’ that gives equal treatment to both governments and individual delegations. I was implacable over the 7thPAC institutionalising the Pan African Movement as a vibrant civil society compliment or challenge to the lame-duck OAU.”

The creation of a parallel political entity is really unworkable. There is no way that any government regardless of the legitimacy of its election would allow a parallel authority to exist. The answer to this is that the people to whom the matter of a unified Africa is of the the greatest importance must put forth their agenda on the national ballots in individual states and proceed with integration from that point onwards.

This political process cannot be circumvented. It is truly difficult to achieve more so with firmly entrenched strongmen like Mugabe in Zimbabwe or Kabila in the DRC. However it is a fact that you cannot create a top to bottom unified Africa. This would merely sound like the Old Men’s club that the OAU used to be.

There are I, I am certain African leaders who desire the economic strength that would be gained from the integration of their countries into one unit. Larger movement of goods and services means more tax revenue for individual states and the ability to pilfer more from national treasuries!!!

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa is one example.

In terms of top down, there exists a East African Legislature that has members appointed by their respective government’s. This is how African leaders see African unity coming about by not relinquishing an iota of their power to the people and maintaining their fingers in the national pie.

Pressure must be brought to bear on African leaders of the urgent need to integrate their economies for the betterment of the people.

The next portion of the article that i had issue with was;
“The answer is for African civil society to link up with the black Diaspora civil society to impose a vibrant, uncompromising institutionalised ‘ Movement’ on the black world, independent of African governments’ control. The two priority areas of activities of the institutionalised ‘Movement’ would be:
(a) To pressurise the AU to produce a Pan-African Passport (PAP) to enable any black or African, regardless of nationality, return home to Africa at will without let or hindrance.
(b) To compel the West and Arabs, by any means necessary, to pay Reparations to the black world. This is, therefore our ‘ CALL’ to all Africans, African organisations, institutions and NGO’s of goodwill, wherever they may be in the world, to nominate their representatives to the 8thPAC International Co-ordinating Committee working to convene the Eight Pan-African Congress within the next three to five years in Africa to launch the Institutionalised Pan-African Movement.”

The idea of a Pan African Passport while noble does not in any way further the cause of a unified Africa. It may help in the free movement of African people within the continent and in the development of trade but nothing more.

I have read many articles on reparations and as always this brings up more questions than answers. Who will be paid? How much? How, cash or goods?
We need to move on from that which is past Africans need to put more effort on the methodology of unity than the reasons for their past miseries. Reparations which would be nice to have will in no way foster African Unity.

A PAn Afican Congress drawn from civil society in this day and age, well publicised and attended IN WASHINGTON D.C. would put the focus of African liberty firmly in the spotlight. There are many Africans in the diaspora with the means and will to support such a cause and it would be wise to draw upon this source of financial, political and social strength. Once drawn to the cause the means to make a unified Africa a reality would be well within reach.

Finally the concept of a virtual march of all Africans from Cape to Cairo with a common goal of unity would be a nice curtain raiser to the 8th Pan African Congress.

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